Process of drying edible pastes.



F. M. GREGG.

PROCESS OP DEYING BDIBLE PASTBS.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 14, 190e.

Patented Nov.7, 1911.

Witwe ooe o of f UNITED sTATEs PATENT l oEEIoE FRANK M. GREGG, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

:PROCESS OF DRYING EDIBLE PASTES.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 7, 1911.

Application filed .Tune 14, 1906. .Serial No.- 8212606.

dles, spaghetti, etc., are formed into thedesired shape while in a moist vor pasty condition andv before ,such products can be sold or used it is necessary to-subject them to a drying process. Heretofore it has been customary to dry such products under ordinary atmospheric pressure, usuallyin a room especially adapted for the purpose, wherein changes 'in temperature might be effected. This has required from two to seven days according to thenature .of the product eing treated and the atmospheric conditions.

The object of this invention is to provide a drying process for the edible paste which will require but a few hours instead of several days and which will be independent of weather conditions'and which will produce a more uniform roduct than is possible under present conditions.

The accompanying drawing discloses one form of apparatus for practicing the method, but it is evident that many other forms of apparatus may be used for thepurpose.

Figure 1 is a perspective view partly in elevation; Fig. 2 is a view of the retort kpartly in elevation, partl`in section and a 1g. 3 is a cross.-

part broken away; and sectional view of the retort.

In said drawing a represents a receptacle capable of being hermetically sealed, by suitable means, as a door .or doors b and 1s provided with suitable inlet and `outlet pipes, c and c2 respectively, whereby water or steam may be supplied thereto. Preferably the receptacle is provided with a series of hollow shelves which communicate through suitable openings or spaces with an annular space or chamber c so that the steam or water admitted to said chamber may be caused to circulate throughout the receptacle to control the temperature thereof. v

The interior of the receptacle ais connected by means of a pipe al with a vacuum pump f shown diagrammatically at e. Between' the pump and the receptacle is interposed a suitable condenser indicated at f which is provided with an ordinary drip chamber as f. Suitable inlet and outlet pipes f f2 permit water to pass through the condenser. Preferably also the receptacle isprovided with a thermometer g and a vacuum gage h.'

The edible paste to be treated is placed upon the shelves provided inthe receptacle a which is then hermetically sealed. Thepump `is thereupon set in motion and the air exhausted as completely as possible. The temperature in the interiorof the receptacle is thensuccessively raised and lowered a number of times in order to extract the moisture from the paste. Meanwhile the pump is kept in operation to draw oit the moisture which has been extracted from the product being treated. The degrees of variation in the temperature and the length of time the treatment is continued depend of course upon the thickness of the product under treatment and the amount of moisture it contains 'when it is placed inl the receptacle. For example, macaroni of ordinary thickness and in the usual condition prior to drying would be placed in the receptacle at a temperature of 75 F. and'after the vacuum had been produced therein the temperature would be reduced to about 65 F.,

which temperature would be maintained for maintained at this temperature for approXimately one hour. Again the temperature would be reduced to 65 F. for approximately one hour, when it would be raised to 75 F. at which temperature it-would be maintained for several hours usually from two to three hours. The temperature would then be raised to 80 F. and maintained for about one hour and then gradually restored to the temperature of the external atmosphere. The vacuum would be gradually reduced until normal atmospherlc pressure was obtained when the receptacle could be opened and the product removed. u

Substantially the same variations 1n temperature and times 'fof treatment are used with all edible pastes, but it is obvious that if the macaroni lor other product 'being treated is unusually thick or is unusually moist when placed within the` vesselthe temperature and the time of4 treatment should be slightl increased. Whereas-,on

the contrary, if t e product should be thinner than usual the temperatures and the llength of time of the treatments should. be

v correspondinglyl decreased.

By this process not only is the total time required for the dryin of edible paste decreased from several ays to a period of.

several hours, but the shape or form of the material being treated 1s preserved and j furthermore the drying is uniform. This f is especially limportant in the case of such products as macaroni which is usually made tube-shaped, since4 it is quite necessary to 'prevent the moisture from accumulating -on such changesA may be made without depart-- ing from my invention, provided the process set forth in the following claims is employed.

perature while the reduced air 'I claim; as my invention,-

1. A process of drying edible pastes which consists in placin thepastes in arece tacle exhausting the a1r from the receptac e and alternately raising and lowering the tempressure is continuously maintained. 2. A process of drying edible pastes which consists in alternate y raising and lowering the temperature of said pastes in a maintained vacuum and removing the moisture extracted from said. pastes, substantially as described.

3. The process of dryin edible pastos which consists in alternate y raising and lowering the temperature of said pastes in a maintained vacuum, removing the moisture extracted from the pastes, and then maintaining the temperature without variation to complete the drying operation, substantially as described.

This specicationjsigned and witnessed this 24th day of Mary, A. D. 1906.

RANK Mf.,GREGG'. Signed in the' resence of y" THOMAS CAN'rr, I

. LUorUs E. VARNEY. 

